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Mysterious comet disintegration caught by telescope after lucky break

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 13:04:25 +0000

Catching a comet in the process of falling apart is difficult, but a coincidence let astronomers see one in more detail than ever before using the Hubble Space Telescope – and revealed a mystery


'Zombie' cells created by transplanting genomes into dead bacteria

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 10:47:41 +0000

Researchers have created the first living synthetic bacterium made from non-living parts by killing a bacterial cell and then transplanting the genome of another species into it, blurring the boundary between life and death


Security credentials inadvertently leaked on thousands of websites

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 08:00:22 +0000

Researchers identified nearly 10,000 websites where API keys could be found, exposing details that could let attackers access sensitive information


Inside the world’s first antimatter delivery service

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 06:00:05 +0000

On Tuesday, CERN will transport antiprotons on a truck for the first time, testing the plan to deliver antimatter by road to research labs across Europe


The success of machine mathematicians shows us how to be OK with AI

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Many people who try using AI are disappointed with the results and feel they can’t trust a machine – but are there lessons we can learn from how AI is taking on mathematics?


The neuroscientist who wants us to be nicer to psychopaths

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 16:00:08 +0000

Abigail Marsh has found that many psychopaths don’t want to be cruel and uncaring, and argues that they deserve support to help them get there


A very serious guide to buying your own humanoid robot butler

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 16:00:48 +0000

You can now buy a humanoid robot housekeeper for less than the price of a second-hand car. But before splashing out, there’s something you need to know


You can now buy a DIY quantum computer

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 12:00:45 +0000

Qilimanjaro is selling a relatively cheap kit with everything you need for a quantum computer – you just need to be able to put it together


What to read this week: Katrina Manson's terrifying Project Maven

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000

It is scarily fascinating to read about the US military's journey into AI warfare in this deeply-researched book. But what happens next, asks Matthew Sparkes


Forget the multiverse. In the pluriverse, we create reality together

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 16:00:20 +0000

A radical idea that resolves many quantum paradoxes suggests there is no objective view of reality. How can the cosmos be stitched together from interlocking perspectives?


We’ve spotted a huge asteroid spinning impossibly fast

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 17:00:40 +0000

Astronomers have found a 710-metre-wide asteroid that spins once every 1.9 minutes, so fast that it should have spun itself apart


Major leap towards reanimation after death as mammal's brain preserved

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 16:19:43 +0000

A pig's brain has been frozen with its cellular activity locked in place and minimal damage. Some believe the same could be done with the brains of people with a terminal illness, so their mind can be reconstructed and they can "continue with their life"


Private company to land on asteroid Apophis as it flies close to Earth

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 14:52:28 +0000

Apophis will be visited by multiple spacecraft – including landers – when it skims past Earth in three years


A negative attitude towards ageing is making you age faster

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 09:00:58 +0000

We know that a person’s outlook can have a huge effect on their health, and it’s no different when it comes to ageing. Columnist Graham Lawton looks at new evidence of just how powerful our attitude is – and how to use it to age better


New Scientist recommends Cirque du Soleil's insect-themed OVO show

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000

The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week


How worried should you be about ultra-processed foods?

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 08:00:05 +0000

We are constantly told to watch out for the health risks of eating ultra-processed food, but should you be worried every time you sit down for a meal? Sam Wong takes a look at the evidence


Mathematician wins 2026 Abel prize for solving 60-year-old mystery

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 11:00:15 +0000

Gerd Faltings shocked mathematicians around the world for his 1983 proof of the Mordell conjecture, which brought together seemingly disparate mathematical fields


Captivating space images show how it has inspired us through the ages

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000

An upcoming book from presenter and author Dallas Campbell collects both iconic and lesser-known images of space, from illustration to photography


Rebecca Solnit: 'The great majority of people want climate action'

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Climate activist and author Rebecca Solnit tells Rowan Hooper why she still has hope, even in these "catastrophic" times


Probiotic cream that ramps up heat production could prevent frostbite

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 17:07:41 +0000

Tweaking our skin's microbiome via a probiotic cream could prevent frostbite and hypothermia in extreme environments


Physicists create formula for how many times you can fold a crêpe

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 10:00:33 +0000

When you fold a flexible material such as a pancake or a tortilla, its behaviour depends on a competition between gravity and elasticity


Fluorescent ruby-like gems have been found on Mars for the first time

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:00:06 +0000

The Perseverance rover has found tiny crystals that seem to be rubies or sapphires inside pebbles on Mars, where they have never been seen before


It's time to monetise the moon! Definitely! Maybe?

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Feedback discovers an accounting firm has unveiled its latest "lunar market assessment", which predicts huge profits to be had. Suit up, lunar entrepreneurs!


Maggie Aderin's dream: To walk by the footprints of Neil Armstrong

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 18:00:44 +0000

Space scientist Maggie Aderin talks telescopes, neurodiversity and being underestimated with Rowan Hooper on the New Scientist podcast, as her memoir Starchild comes out


Boosting the blood-brain barrier could avert brain damage in athletes

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:00:24 +0000

The neurodegenerative condition chronic traumatic encephalopathy appears to be driven by damage to the blood-brain barrier due to repetitive head injuries, like those that occur in boxing. This suggests that drugs that strengthen this barrier could prevent or slow the condition


Neanderthals may have treated wounds with antibiotic sticky tar

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:00:15 +0000

Tar made from birch tree bark is commonly found at Neanderthal sites, and experiments show that it kills some bacteria that cause skin infections


Will war in the Middle East accelerate the clean energy transition?

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 16:28:28 +0000

Disruption to shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has led to a spike in oil and natural gas prices, which could spur countries to boost the roll-out of renewable energy and electric vehicles


The mystery of how volcanic lightning happens has been solved

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 16:00:44 +0000

When particles in volcanic ash cloud rub together, some pick up positive charge and others negative – now physicists have finally elucidated how these different charges are determined


Ice core reveals low CO2 during warm spell 3 million years ago

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 16:00:12 +0000

For the first time, scientists have measured atmospheric gases from the late Pliocene, yielding data that could help to predict the future climate


Psychedelics may be no better than antidepressants for depression

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 15:00:18 +0000

Drugs like psilocybin that induce psychedelic effects have shown promise for treating depression. Now, a review of the evidence suggests that they are effective, but no more so than traditional antidepressants


Route-planning AI cut climate-warming contrails on over 100 flights

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 14:41:51 +0000

A weather-forecasting AI was used to recommend routes for American Airlines flights between the US and Europe to reduce the formation of contrails, which contribute to global warming


Particle discovered at CERN solves a 20-year-old mystery

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 09:00:32 +0000

Physicists working on the LHCb experiment have spotted an elusive and fleeting particle, a heavier and more charming cousin to the proton, that has been sought for decades


Social media is a defective product

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 16:21:37 +0000

Two lawsuits are being brought against giant tech firms for the dangers their apps pose to young people. Columnist Annalee Newitz says the outcome of those cases could dramatically change social media for the better


Your partner probably wakes you up at night without you even realising

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 12:00:40 +0000

People who share a bed with a partner are woken by them multiple times per night, but don’t remember most of these disturbances


The ancient Goths were an ethnically diverse group

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 12:00:54 +0000

Ancient DNA reveals that the Goths of eastern Europe, some of whom would ultimately sack the city of Rome, may have been a mix of peoples from three continents


3I/ATLAS: Interstellar comet has water unlike any in our solar system

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 07:00:42 +0000

The levels of a heavy form of hydrogen in 3I/ATLAS are 30 to 40 times higher than in Earth's oceans, suggesting the comet has a cold and distant origin


The asteroid Ryugu has all of the main ingredients for life

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 16:00:10 +0000

All five of the canonical nucleobases – the underpinnings of DNA, RNA and life on Earth – have been found in samples from the asteroid Ryugu


Why global warming is accelerating and what it means for the future

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 15:00:52 +0000

Scientists disagree whether human-made climate change or natural fluctuations are mostly to blame for worse-than-expected heat in recent years


AI is nearly exclusively designed by men – here's how to fix it

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 13:00:20 +0000

With the Trump administration’s attacks on so-called woke AI it is becoming even harder to make the technology we use fairer and more diverse. Leading voices are speaking out, reports Catherine de Lange


How a midlife tune-up could help prepare you for a healthy old age

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 17:21:37 +0000

Most of us don’t worry about our health in old age until we get there, but research is increasingly showing that how you live in your mid-50s can have a real impact in your 90s


Single-celled organism with no brain is capable of Pavlovian learning

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 14:00:32 +0000

A trumpet-shaped, single-celled organism seems able to predict one thing will follow another, hinting that such associative learning emerged long before multicellular nervous systems


What does it mean if the universe has extra dimensions?

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 09:00:04 +0000

Dimensions beyond the four we’re familiar with could solve a host of problems in physics and cosmology. Columnist Leah Crane explores what a higher-dimensional universe might be like – and how we could find out if we live in one


Why are we so obsessed with protein? A new book looks for answers

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Samantha King and Gavin Weedon's new book Protein digs deep into the nutrient's role in our health. But can it tell you how much you should be eating? Alexandra Thompson explores


A smartphone app can help men last longer in bed

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:01:45 +0000

In a randomised trial, men who experience premature ejaculation benefitted from using an app to learn techniques for extending intercourse


Frailty sets in far earlier than you’d expect, but you can reverse it

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 16:00:48 +0000

We’re learning that frailty can quietly arrive decades before old age, with some people in their 30s or 40s unknowingly in a pre-frail state. There are surprising ways to stay strong – and it’s not all about weight training


Our extinct Australopithecus relatives may have had difficult births

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 16:00:45 +0000

Simulations of Australopithecus hominins’ anatomy suggest that when they gave birth, they may have exerted tremendous pressure on their pelvic floors, putting them at risk of tearing


The 3 things you need to know about passwords, from a security expert

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 15:00:26 +0000

There are a few simple things you can do to make your digital life much more secure, says cybersecurity expert Jake Moore - follow these tips to tighten up your passwords


We don’t know if AI-powered toys are safe, but they’re here anyway

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:01:57 +0000

Toys powered by AI show a worrying lack of emotional understanding. But we need to understand the risks and benefits of the technology so the industry can be regulated, not outright banned


Parkinson's disease may reduce enjoyment of pleasant smells

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 12:00:41 +0000

The "world smells different" for people with Parkinson's disease, a discovery that could help doctors spot the condition sooner


New Scientist recommends sci-fi novel Under the Eye of the Big Bird

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000

The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week


Why are we so suspicious of do-gooders?

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 09:00:44 +0000

A growing body of research shows that we tend to discount a person’s good deeds if they stand to benefit from them. Columnist David Robson explores where this instinct comes from – and whether we should resist it


A glimpse into the rare earth riches of Greenland

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 18:00:34 +0000

Photographer Jonas Kako travelled to Greenland to explore how mining for the rare earth elements and minerals that are vital for new green technologies is impacting locals


The race to solve the biggest problem in quantum computing

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 07:00:40 +0000

The errors that quantum computers make are holding the technology back. But recent progress in quantum error correction has excited many researchers


How worried should you be about your BMI?

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 18:00:59 +0000

Body mass index (BMI) is used as a global standard for measuring health, but does it actually tell you anything about how healthy you are on an individual level? Carissa Wong explains the problems with this flawed tool


Can species evolve fast enough to survive as the planet heats up?

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 18:00:29 +0000

The story of a wildflower that adapted to a severe drought in California raises hopes that evolution will come to the rescue of species hit by climate change, but there are limits


Chemistry may not be the 'killer app' for quantum computers after all

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 17:00:15 +0000

Two popular quantum computing algorithms for problems in chemistry may have very limited use even as quantum hardware improves


Why drug overdose deaths have suddenly plummeted in the US

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 16:00:16 +0000

Fentanyl-related overdose deaths fell by nearly 30 per cent in the space of a year in the US, which could represent a significant turning point in the country's opioid addiction crisis


We’ve only just confirmed that Homo habilis really existed

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 18:00:13 +0000

Their species name is well known, but until recently we’ve understood very little for certain about Homo habilis. Columnist Michael Marshall reveals what new fossils are telling us about the hominins that have been considered the first humans


Rumours of a Firefly reboot abound, but should the Serenity fly again?

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 11:15:55 +0000

Star Nathan Fillion is stoking rumours that cult western-in-space television series Firefly could be rebooted. Emily H. Wilson realises she is being toyed with – but is still praying for its return


Undisclosed ads on TikTok skirt ban on profiling minors

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 10:15:09 +0000

Teenagers are being bombarded with highly targeted commercial content on TikTok, despite an EU law that prohibits profiling minors for advertising


A miniature magnet rivals behemoths in strength for the first time

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 18:00:54 +0000

Strong magnets tend to be large and power-hungry, but a new design has produced a powerful magnet that fits in the palm of your hand, making it more practical and affordable


Mathematics is undergoing the biggest change in its history

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 12:00:25 +0000

The speed at which artificial intelligence is gaining in mathematical ability has taken many by surprise. It is rewriting what it means to be a mathematician


King penguins are thriving in a warmer climate, but it may not last

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 18:00:53 +0000

Longer summers are allowing more king penguin chicks to bulk up and survive the winter, but the penguins' main fishing area is shifting further away as temperatures rise


Why a Peruvian mountain is becoming an 'impossible' particle detector

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 16:00:16 +0000

Deep canyons in the Andes are the perfect location to catch the most energetic particles in the universe. Carlos Argüelles-Delgado reveals how these intergalactic envoys could help prove the quantum nature of gravity


Why the world's militaries are scrambling to create their own Starlink

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:00:47 +0000

The reliable internet connections provided by Starlink offer a huge advantage on the battlefield. But as access is dependent on the whims of controversial billionaire Elon Musk, militaries are looking to build their own version


Start-up is building the first data centre to use human brain cells

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 16:55:48 +0000

Cortical Labs is building two data centres that will house its neuron-filled chips. The technology is still in the very early stages of development


Orcas may be to blame for some mass dolphin strandings

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:01:07 +0000

Two mass strandings involving hundreds of dolphins in Argentina probably happened because the pods were being hunted by orcas, highlighting the role of predators in these mysterious events


I was accused of killing over 100 million rabbits across Australia

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 18:00:33 +0000

When New Scientist reporter James Woodford was assigned to a story about a virus designed to kill rabbits, he never expected to be accused of spreading it


Sharing genetic risk scores can unwittingly reveal secrets

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 17:00:37 +0000

Statistics that quantify a person’s predisposition to diseases such as diabetes and cancer can be reverse-engineered to reveal the underlying genetic data, prompting privacy concerns


Mystery 'whippet' space explosion is the brightest of its kind

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 14:00:27 +0000

A rapidly brightening burst of light called AT 2024wpp, or "the Whippet", is baffling astronomers. One explanation is that it is the result of an exotic star falling into a black hole


Project Hail Mary is a spiritual sibling to The Martian - and it's fab

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 13:00:45 +0000

Ryan Gosling stars in the latest adaptation of an Andy Weir novel, another tale of a lone genius battling to survive in space. Bethan Ackerley thoroughly approves


What is a galaxy? That's a surprisingly difficult question to answer

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 12:00:50 +0000

Figuring out what really counts as a galaxy could give us insights into dark matter and potentially shake up astrophysics, cosmology and particle physics, says columnist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein


Human populations evolved in similar ways after we began farming

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 11:00:12 +0000

An analysis of ancient and modern DNA suggests the extent of convergent evolution in different peoples around the world is even greater than we thought


Why is black rain falling on Iran and how dangerous is it?

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 19:11:46 +0000

US-Israeli strikes on oil facilities have caused black rain to fall on Tehran, but the black smoke filling the air is likely to be a bigger health risk


A daily multivitamin may slightly slow rates of ageing

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 16:00:29 +0000

Taking a multivitamin every day might slightly slow the rate of ageing, but the extent to which this is relevant to our health is unclear


'Singing' dogs may show the evolutionary roots of musicality

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 14:00:21 +0000

Some Samoyeds adjust the pitch of their howls depending on the music being played, showing a form of vocal ability they might have inherited from their wolf ancestors


How an intern helped build the AI that shook the world

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 06:00:33 +0000

Chris Maddison was just an intern when he started working on the Go-playing AI that would eventually become AlphaGo. A decade later, he talks about that match against Lee Sedol and what came next


The first apes to walk upright may have evolved in Europe

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 12:07:23 +0000

A single femur found in Bulgaria appears to represent an ape or early hominin that walked on two legs before any known African hominin, but the evidence is far from conclusive


SETI may have missed alien signals because of space weather

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 11:26:50 +0000

SETI has spent decades listening for a sharp, well-defined radio signal that could indicate it was sent by distant intelligent life. Now researchers believe that space weather could distort and blur such signals – meaning SETI has been scanning for the wrong thing


The moment that kicked off the AI revolution

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 06:00:22 +0000

It's been 10 years since Go champion Lee Sedol lost to DeepMind's AlphaGo. Has the technology lived up to its potential?


Why cosmology seems to be caught in a vibe shift

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Whether you call it a vibe shift or a paradigm shift, physicists must be ready to challenge their fundamental understanding of the universe without fear or nostalgia


Shift in the Gulf Stream could signal ocean current collapse

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 15:51:07 +0000

Models show that as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation gets weaker, the Gulf Stream will drift northwards. There are signs that this is already happening, and a more abrupt shift could warn of more severe climate impacts


Why Yuri Gagarin wasn’t the first in space – and who beat him to it

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 09:00:03 +0000

Everyone knows Yuri Gagarin as the first person to go to space. But was he? Literary historian Vladimir Brljak tells the tale of the intrepid balloonists who first flew beyond the blue terrestrial sky, challenging the definition of where our world begins to end


Ancient 'weirdo' reptile graduated from 4 legs to 2 in adolescence

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 04:00:03 +0000

Sonselasuchus cedrus, discovered in fossils from Arizona, was a crocodile relative from the Triassic period that grew into an ostrich-like adult


The real reasons birth rates are declining worldwide

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 16:00:52 +0000

From the cost of childcare to the housing crisis, there’s no shortage of explanations for the dramatic global fall in the number of babies being born. These analyses, though, are all missing something, says cognitive and evolutionary anthropologist Paula Sheppard


We must close the 'shocking' knowledge gap in women's health

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 14:30:00 +0000

This International Women's Day, we should prioritise groundbreaking research into women's health, such as strengthening the reproductive system's natural defences, says Anita Zaidi


A bizarre type of black hole could solve three cosmic mysteries in one

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:00:27 +0000

Black holes that turn matter into energy could explain dark energy and answer two other cosmic questions. Now, the challenge is to find them


A crisis in cosmology may mean hidden dimensions really exist

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:00:49 +0000

Physicists are scrambling to understand why dark energy is weakening. In a surprising twist, we must now reconsider the possibility that our reality contains extra dimensions


Adrian Tchaikovsky's new Children of Time novel is brilliant

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000

The latest novel in this entirely original science-fiction series features a human-size mantis shrimp as an "uplifted" species. It's ambitious and fantastic, says sci-fi columnist Emily H. Wilson


The bombshell results that demand a new theory of the universe

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:00:29 +0000

Last year, our most detailed map of the universe yet suggested our understanding of dark energy has been wrong for decades. The shock result is reigniting the search for a better cosmic story


NASA changed an asteroid's orbit around the sun for the first time

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 19:00:00 +0000

NASA’s DART mission slammed into the small asteroid Dimorphos in 2022, and the impact slowed its orbit around the larger Didymos – and also the pair’s path around the sun


Chemistry clues could detect aliens unlike any life on Earth

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 18:00:42 +0000

Looking for molecular evidence of life on other worlds is tricky, but a test based on the reactivity of carbon compounds could be a useful indicator


Inflammation might cause Alzheimer's – here's how to reduce it

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 17:09:16 +0000

Persistent inflammation in the gut, lungs and skin might lead to Alzheimer's disease, but lifestyle choices - from getting vaccinated to eating well - can keep inflammation under control


The best new popular science books of March 2026

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 16:00:31 +0000

A new book from Rebecca Solnit, promising to bring us hope in these “difficult times”, is among our pick of popular science titles out this month – along with a guide on how to talk to AI, and a look at modern warfare


Earth is now heating up twice as fast as in previous decades

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 14:00:11 +0000

Since 2014, the planet has been warming by about 0.36°C per decade, according to an analysis of five temperature datasets, raising fears that climate tipping points could be crossed earlier than expected


The secret to guessing more accurately with maths

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 11:00:15 +0000

What do a 20th-century physicist, an 18th-century statistician and an ancient Greek philosopher have in common? They all knew how to extrapolate with incredible accuracy. Columnist Jacob Aron explains how to combine their methods to improve your ability to guess


New Scientist recommends real-world stealth game LANDER 23

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000

The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week


Alzheimer’s may start with inflammation in the skin, lungs or gut

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 12:00:33 +0000

The Alzheimer’s field is being turned on its head as mounting evidence points to the disease beginning outside the brain many years before symptoms start. This may mean we have to totally rethink how we approach preventing and treating the condition


Möbius strip-like molecule has an entirely new and bizarre shape

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 19:00:31 +0000

A ring of 13 carbon atoms and two chlorine atoms has a remarkable molecular structure that means you would have to go around the loop four times to return to your starting position


How worried should you be about microplastics?

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 10:29:33 +0000

Microplastics have been found accumulating everywhere from our water to our body tissues, but many of the claims have come under fresh scrutiny. Chelsea Whyte cuts through the research to tell you whether you really need to worry